World Cup: United States gets a tough draw

The U.S. drew a daunting task for next year's World Cup: difficult opponents, tropical venues and a wearying 9,000-mile zigzag journey across Brazil.

The Americans wound up with the potentially punishing group they feared and will play Ghana, Portugal and Germany next June as they try to achieve a U.S. first: reaching the knockout phase twice in a row.

While Ghana eliminated the Americans in 2006 and 2010, the Black Stars won't do it again. The U.S. opens its seventh straight World Cup appearance against Ghana on June 16 at Natal.

The U.S. meets Portugal and 2008 FIFA Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo six days later in the Amazon rain forest city Manaus. The Americans have just three off days to recover before closing Group G on June 26 in Recife against three-time champion Germany.

"We want to put ourselves in a position to get out of the group and that means getting points," U.S. captain Clint Dempsey said. "I don't look at it like we're the underdog, I just look at it like we want to get points in every game. I still think that our team has the quality that if we play our best ball, we can get out of the group."

After having the shortest group-play travel in South Africa, the U.S. will have the longest in Brazil.

The Americans will be based in Sao Paulo and face trips of 1,436 miles to Natal, 1,832 miles to Manaus and 1,321 miles to Recife. They will play all three games in the tropics, with the second and third matches in the afternoon.

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"I think guys who have played in MLS are used to taking 3,000-mile trips across the country to play," midfielder Sacha Kljestan said.

The U.S. group has the best average FIFA world ranking. Odds on the Americans winning their first World Cup more than doubled after the draw, from 60-1 to 150-1.

Host Brazil was made a 3-1 favorite to win. Argentina was next at 9-2. Germany was 5-1, followed by defending champion Spain at 7-1.

"It's definitely one of the tougher groups, if not the toughest, but at the same time, this is what the World Cup's all about. You go there to play against the best," American forward Jozy Altidore said during a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "I think the boys will be excited, will be up for it."

Earthquakes centerback Clarence Goodson, a strong candidate to make the U.S. team, expects Group G to be competitive and entertaining.

"You have four teams in there that all expect to advance," he said on the Quakes' website. "These are teams that have done well in past tournaments, teams that are very strong in their regions and have some world-class players."

U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann played for Germany's 1990 World Cup championship team and coached his native country to third place at home in the 2006 tournament, commuting to Europe from his California house in Orange County.

"It couldn't get any more difficult or any bigger," he said at the draw in Costa do Sauipe, Brazil. "It's a real challenge. And we'll take it. We'll take it on, and hopefully we're going to surprise some people there."

The U.S. and South Korea were the last remaining teams in draw pot three. While the Americans landed in a group with an average FIFA ranking of 11.25, South Korea wound up in Group H, creating a group with the poorest average at 28.25.

The U.S. will feel pressure to open with a win against 24th-ranked Ghana. The Black Stars defeated the Americans 2-1 in the 2006 group stage and by the same score in overtime in the round of 16 at the last World Cup in South Africa.